Booker isn't the only one questioning his choices. Food blogger Dave Sacerdote and NJ.com users have a few words of advice for the Mayor. Since 2006, Sacerdote has run davescupboard.blogspot and he's got practical tips for anyone serious about stretching their $33 weekly food allowance.

"I give Mayor Booker a lot of credit for doing it. People are going hungry and this raises awareness," he said."But looking at what what he brought home, he shouldn't buy a bottle of organic olive oil or a bag of mixed greens. Instead, each week you buy a staple that can last a few weeks. (What would you buy? Post a comment below.)

Sacerdote says that on such a tight budget, the challenge is accepting that your choices will be generally pretty boring. He says the it's important for anyone on a budget to give up the convenience to buying packaged foods to spend time — and save money — by cooking at home.

"The first thing I would do is buy a bag of flour for $2, a 10-pound bag of rice for about $8, some oatmeal and a bottle of vegetable oil. You could buy a dozen eggs for $1.79 and a half-gallon of milk for $2.50.

"There are staples that you just have to get used to eating. You could use these things to make biscuits or a gravy. I also would buy a whole four-pound chicken, at $.99/pound. For $4, I can eat it for dinner for three or four nights and then use the carcass to make a soup with noodles or rice.

He adds that people shouldn't shop just once a week or in the same store. "The real trick is going to the store on your way home from work," Sacerdote says. "You can find specials on fruit at the end of a week. Also, if you go to ethnic stores, you can get better deals. Chinese markets, for instance, will generally have better deals on bags of rice.

What NJ.com users are saying

Here is a collection of comments from NJ.com users discussing Booker's purchases:

I paid $6.50 for a 10lb bag of rice at shop rite last week. It is a lot of rice. Why canned beans instead of dry beans? Dry beans much cheaper. Prepacked bags of salad instead of heads of lettuce? How out of touch or even smart is he if he considers this smart economical shopping? - mattvnj

Doing it for a week is also ineffective because I buy things that last more than a week and save money. Don't buy 2 shiny apples for $1.50, buy a bag that lasts 2 weeks on sale for $3.50. If you are going to get EV Olive Oil, get the biggest one. Sure it's like $15 now, but it lasts me a few months, and the unit price is probably close to other oils if you buy those oils in the tiny bottle too. - ccclub79

These are poor food choices for the budget. It looks like the selections were based on convenience and a plan to not cook or only use a microwave. Where is the protein (milk, eggs)? Canned beans, name brands, olive oil - really? Try dried beans, store brands and canola. Managing a budget and nutrition require time, effort and planning. Get off of twitter - this is not a game - for many on assistance or not - this is reality. - DPmorris

DRIED BEANS!!! Those cans infuriate me. One bag of beans is at least 3 cans of beans. And it's basically the same price. Rice, pasta, whatevers on sale ...tomato sauce ... store brands ... What about the dollar store? I got frozen fruit and vegetables there, as well as soup, tortillas, granola bars. - hdnj

Yes, it is possible to eat on $30 a week, but, judging from the items on his counter, not the way Mayor Booker is doing it. Large container of store-brand oatmeal: approx. $3. - breakfast for one-to-two weeks. Can also be used as a side to stretch other meals. Peanut butter, bananas (on sale this week $.49/pound), store-brand white bread - $1.00 = sandwiches. Large bag of rice. Provides starch, can make dessert, stretch main dishes. Sorry, I know you are a vegetarian..but ground turkey (on sale - $1.99/pound) can make more idshes than I can list here. Add frozen vegetables. And so forth. I don't have to take the challenge. Been there, done that.- dinksr